Francis James Gray (31 August 1880 – 2 March 1935) was a British politician and welfare campaigner. He served as a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

from 1922 to 1924.

Background

He was born in

and educated at

Rugby School Rugby School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. Up ...

Career

He was admitted as a

solicitor A solicitor is a legal practitioner who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally-defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and ...

in 1903; he retired from law in 1916, and entered the Army. He refused a commission, and served as a private soldier in the

Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry was a light infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1881 until 1958, serving in the Second Boer War, World War I and World War II. The regiment was formed as a consequence of th ...

and The Princess Charlotte of Wales's (Royal Berkshire Regiment) until the Armistice. In 1920 he published ''The Confessions of a Private''. After the war, he worked as a farm labourer, lived with Warwickshire miners, and toured the workhouses of Oxfordshire as a tramp. He wrote the book ''The Tramp: his Meaning and Being'' (London: Dent, 1931).

Politics

In the 1918 general election he contested

Watford Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...

. He was elected as the MP for

in the 1922 general election He was made a Liberal whip. He was re-elected in 1923; He was accused of corrupt practices in the 1923 general election. Following a petition raised by his Unionist opponent, he was unseated by the courts on 14 May 1924 because his agent had falsified the account for his expenses. He was acquitted of corrupt practices but prevented from standing for parliament for seven years. In 1930 Oxford Liberal Association approached him to stand as their candidate at the next General Election but he declined.Western Gazette, 21 February 1930 In 1926, he crossed Africa from the Atlantic to the

Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; T ...

in a car. He died while returning from

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

, having traveled there for his health.

External links

* *Obituary in ''The Times'', 4 March 1935

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gray, Frank 1880 births 1935 deaths People from Oxford Military personnel from Oxfordshire People educated at Rugby School English solicitors Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry soldiers Royal Berkshire Regiment soldiers British Army personnel of World War I Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1922–1923 UK MPs 1923–1924 20th-century English lawyers

Background

Career

Politics

See also

Further reading

External links

References